The Last Spartan Race of the Season

The Last Spartan Race of the Season. 

At the start of the race, the air temperature was about 33°F. We were told that the dunk tank, an obstacle that requires you to completely submerge yourself in cold muddy water to get underneath a wall and complete the task, was closed. It had been so cold overnight that the combined temperature of the water and the air did not meet the minimum temperature of 80°F. 

I was happy because it was cold and since the obstacle was in the middle of the race, it would be hard for me to get my body heat back. Last year, when I ran the same race in a Nor’ Easter, the dunk tank was closed. Earlier this year, during a race on a cold April day at the same venue, the dunk tank was open and it took me a good three miles to get my temperature back to where it needed to be.

When the pack I was running with got to the bottom of the mountain, we saw people entering the dunk tank. The official by the event said that the combined air and water temperature met the minimum requirements and the dunk wall is now open. Though no one was happy, a bunch of us got wet and completed the obstacle. Others chose to whine.

“Do I have to do the obstacle?” was the prevailing question.

“Why do I have to do the obstacle. I was told that it was closed.”

No one who went into the freezing cold water on a cold day was happy to get wet. Yet, a bunch of us did it without complaint. I could not in good consciousness skip the obstacle. I did not come this far to pick and choose my challenges. I was not going to impede my development by skipping those obstacles that were tough. I was not going to let excuses get in the way of my success.

In talking with a colleague who also ran the race, we couldn’t figure out why someone would spend so much money for a race, only to pick and choose which obstacles they would try to overcome. Skipping the dunk wall made zero sense to both of us.

Completing an obstacle course race is a challenge. Not that it has happened in any of the races that I completed, but some require that you sign a waiver that tells you that you might die. The promoters are upfront with the participants right from the start. Everyone who signed up for the race in New Jersey in November knew that it would be dangerous. Everyone should know that it also gets cold in New Jersey in November. Everyone should have known that they would get muddy, dirty, and wet. Everyone should have completed the obstacle.

I hate excuses. Get the job done.

Every day is an interview.